Q&A

An infectious disease specialist for more than a decade, Dr. Mia Taormina was ready for her close-up when WBEZ asked her to be its on-air coronavirus expert early last year. For the first decade of Dr. Mia Taormina’s career, work went pretty steadily as she saw patients and made rounds. She is one of only three doctors with an infectious disease specialty at DuPage Medical Group, a 750-doctor practice. In late 2019, Taormina and colleagues in her specialty were among the first to learn about a virus circulating in China. Within weeks, Taormina’s life kicked into high gear and stayed …

Through her Lower Manhattan gallery, Laura Mattioli preserves and promotes the work of important 20th-century Italian creatives. In the eyes of even the most adoring beholder, a stereotype exists that Italian visual art begins with a bang in antiquity, hits its peak in the Renaissance and ceases to be much of a factor by the mid-20th century. After all, the 1950s and ’60s were the era of Jackson Pollock, Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein, right? One woman has reformed that view by taking a lead role in celebrating Italy’s influence in the modern and postmodern movements. The daughter of a …

Through her efforts to connect Italian Americans in TV and film, Taylor Taglianetti is having a huge impact on the industry at a relatively young age. Over the years, Fra Noi has featured many film industry standouts who have made a positive impact on their industry, but none with a story of youthful exuberance, persistence and vision quite like 22-year-old Taylor Taglianetti. As founder of the National Organization of Italian Americans in Film & Television, the recent NYU graduate advances a simple but dynamic mission. In a nutshell, Taglianetti wants to connect and empower Italian Americans to attain their professional …

After beating serious health challenges that hampered his athletic and corporate careers, Chris Bordoni celebrates resilience through a special podcast. Talented teens and young adults tend to view themselves as invincible. Even when they suffer a major setback or two, they often emerge humbler but still immensely confident. But what happens to a star athlete and corporate wunderkind who gets sidelined not once, but four times by serious health issues? In the case of Chris Bordoni, the answer defies easy analysis or explanation — especially since his last health scare was the worst: Stage 3B testicular cancer. Where others might …

  Lucia Mauro passion for Italy and humanitarian causes shines through in her award-winning films. Some people make a life in film; others lead lives worthy of a film. Lucia Mauro is one of those rare individuals to whom both sides of the cinematic coin apply. Mauro was an established Chicago-area writer when she made her first foray into moviemaking with a 2007 screenplay. It led her to a major crossroads professionally and personally, for as that project ramped up, Mauro was stricken with ovarian cancer. Despite two recurrences, Mauro forged onward and upward with courage and confidence. She transitioned …

In his award-winning book “Crying the News,” Vincent DiGirolamo brings the fast-fading history of 19th- and 20th-century newsboys back into focus. The shopworn stereotype of the newsboy — some rosy-faced rascal hoisting the Five-Star Final above his head, shouting “EXTRA! EXTRA!” —  is all most Americans know of this once-ubiquitous urban icon. Then, along comes Vincent DiGirolamo to tackle their story with the passion and precision of a front-page scribe. In “Crying the News: A History of America’s Newsboy” (Oxford University Press), DiGirolamo shines a light on this once-vibrant milieu, in the process preventing it from disappearing from our cultural …

Approaching architecture with heart as well as smarts, Luciana Burdi he crafts airport spaces that soothe the soul while they hasten you on your way. Most of us don’t think of buildings beyond their mere function. Whether they’re made of steel, stone, concrete or glass, they provide us with places to live, learn, work, heal and have fun, and that’s about it, right? But have you ever considered how buildings can flow with us, taking us from stress to rest while getting us from point A to point B? Dr. Luciana Burdi has. As the deputy director of capital programs …

In his tireless dedication to the downtrodden, Anthony D’Urso follows in the footsteps of his heroic parents. New York City was no place to land alone in 1960 without a job, high school education or social safety net. Now imagine not speaking a lick of English when you stepped off the plane from Italy at the age of 21. What was a young man to do? For Antonio D’Urso, answers came, one after another, in terms any immigrant would understand. Work hard. Learn the language. Get an education. And not just any education in D’Urso’s case, but a 16-year academic …

A native of Toronto, Joseph Yanuziello is the master craftsman behind some of the world’s most sought-after guitars. In the boutique guitar marketplace, where instruments routinely command $5,000 or more, Joseph Yanuziello’s instruments have become so popular you might think his company’s motto is “sold out.” As fast as he can build his stunning instruments — which draw universal raves for their sound, look and feel — they’re gone. Working from a shop outside his native Toronto, Yanuziello builds stringed instruments that reflect a singular vision. While so many companies outsource parts from overseas, he builds his own. While many …

In her bilingual musical for young adults, Simona Rodano breaks artistic boundaries while tackling a topic of importance and poignancy. One well-worn cliché where adventurous artists are concerned centers on how they “follow their own muse.” But Simona Rodano is far more driven than that. Working within the four disciplines of music, theater, environmental science and education — spread out over two languages no less — this native of northern Italy has created what she calls an “edumusical” titled “Sempreverde: Evergreen.” Where anything environmental is concerned, Rodano knows whereof she speaks: A scientist by training, she deftly avoids the trap …